[Tweak Master]

Is there anything worse than loading up that new, highly anticipated game, only to have it not run at all? Well, of course there is. There's poverty, hunger, oppression, etc., but they're not the point of this feature. It's a pain in the butt to load a brand-new or even a not-so-new game only to be greeted by a Blue Screen Of Death (BSOD) or the oft confusing drop down to the desktop for no apparent reason. Unfortunately, there is not a cure-all inoculation for this problem. There are a number of possible causes or even a combination thereof. However, following the steps below will resolve most of these problems. It is important to note that these steps will not work 100% of the time; rather, the majority will benefit from them. The very last step is reserved for when all else fails, as it usually solves nearly every Windows problem, but try everything else first. On to the troubleshooting we go.


Step 1: Check the Game's Website for Updates

Oftentimes, especially with older games, many patches have been released that address various problems. Many of those solutions address crashing issues when used with specific combinations of hardware. Make sure the version of the game being played is the latest version available. This is an easy thing to check, but it's often overlooked.


Step 2: Check the Game's Website for Forums

Many games, especially larger titles, will have forums dedicated to them. Oftentimes these forums will include some form of technical support in addition to players helping one another through the game. Read the forums and see if anyone else has had problems similar to those you're experiencing. If the problem is found in the forums, there's usually another player who's got a work-around or a resolution for the problem. Make sure the specific problem hasn't already been tackled.


Step 3: Lower the Game's Detail/Resolution Settings

Find out if a game only crashes at high detail levels or high resolutions. If it runs fine at lower settings, chances are that the machine that is running the game is not powerful enough to run it at the higher settings. If the machine is well above the recommended specs (not barely above) but is crashing at higher settings, then continue on.


Step 4: Check for Updated Video Card Drivers

Video cards are one of the most updated components on a computer. As games continue to push the limits of computers, so, too, do they push video cards. It's important to make sure that there is a clean installation of the latest video card drivers to ensure the most compatibility with the latest games. It's also important to make sure there's a clean install of the latest drivers. If there have been several video card driver installations over the months, chances are that there is a driver conflict. Get the latest drivers for the video card, then perform a clean installation to clean up any older files. Follow the instructions found here for help on performing a clean installation.


Step 5: Check that DirectX is Up-To-Date

After many game installations, DirectX may become corrupt. Nearly every new game comes with the latest copy of DirectX on it, and many have the option to only install DirectX. Reinstalling the latest version will often solve odd little problems with games, including graphical glitches and other anomalies.


Step 6: Update the BIOS and Chipset Drivers

On occasion, the motherboard's BIOS and chipsets will require updating. While not nearly as frequent as the updates needed for video cards, the updates for these components usually affect more technical things such as voltages and speeds. To determine the BIOS on the computer, reboot it (or use SiSoft's Sandra) and look at the POST screen (where it counts RAM and such). It should say something like "AWARD BIOS" or "PHOENIX BIOS" or whatever BIOS happens to be on the machine.

The chipset can usually be found either using the aforementioned Sandra or by going into System Properties from Control Panel and opening the System Devices folder. In there, look for the brand name of whatever is controlling the CPU to PCI bridge. That will be the chipset.

Once both are found, the website for each needs to be located. NOTE: Those on prefab computers should go through their computer manufacturer's website for updates, as the BIOS and Chipset information on those machines may be proprietary. Finding the website is usually easy. Simply type the name of the BIOS or the Chipset into a search engine like Google and you should fine the proper website within the first few links. Chipset and BIOS information can also usually be found on the motherboard manufacturer's website. Those that know what motherboard they've got can simply go to the appropriate website and look for driver updates there.

Performing the update is usually very easy and most updates include auto-installers, meaning double-clicking the downloaded update file will properly install the new drivers. Not every update is like this, though, so check for directions on the website where the new drivers are found.


Step 7: Adjust Settings in the BIOS

(NOTE: The following settings affect only those with AGP video cards.)

First, the AGP aperture is a setting that tells the computer how much physical memory to set aside for use as a texture cache by the video card. Recommendations for this setting vary, but we've found that no more than half the video card's memory or half the physical memory, whichever is lower, seems to work best. For example, those with a 32MB video card and 64MB of RAM would want a setting of 16MB for their aperture. Those with a 64MB video card and 64MB of RAM could go with 32MB for the setting, but lowering it will often solve problems. Continue lowering the aperture setting to see if the program will eventually work.

Next, lower the AGP speed. The difference between AGP 4X and AGP 2X is almost unmeasureable on current systems, and 4X is rather unstable as it is. Lower the AGP to 2X and try again. If there are still problems, lower the AGP to 1X. These settings in the BIOS may be straightforward, or they may be confusing. Those having a problem determining their AGP speed can get PowerStrip, found here. This handy little program will perform a lot of video functions, including setting the AGP speed, all through a convenient Windows interface.

If there are still problems, turn off fast-write capabilities. This is usually referred to in BIOS as either "Fast Write" with an Enable/Disable option or as "AGP 1 WS Read/Write," which can also be Enabled/Disabled. ("1 WS" means one wait state or clock cycle, if you're curious.)


Step 8: Lower the Acceleration Settings in Windows

This is a rather extreme step because, if it works, it means that Step 8 will probably need to be performed as well. Open System Properties from the Control Panel, click the Performance tab and select the Graphics button. Here, there's a slider for lowering the acceleration utilized by Windows when performing video applications. Move it one to the left and try the game again. If it's still not working, there are most likely driver conflicts throughout Windows, meaning a full reinstall will need to be done. Lowering the acceleration further may make the game work, but the performance will most likely not be acceptable.


Step 9: Practice Windows Reinstallation

It's not a pleasant part of the Windows experience, but it's unfortunately a common one. Reinstalling Windows is a sometimes-lengthy process, but it doesn't have to kill all the saved files on the hard drive. Instead, wipe out the Windows directory from DOS. Note: Before doing this, make sure to create a Startup Floppy Disk and make sure that booting with that floppy detects the CD-ROM drive.

Insert the Startup floppy and restart the computer. The computer should boot from the A drive first. If it does not, enter the computer's BIOS and change the boot order to detect the A drive first. Once booted from the floppy (and after making sure the CD-ROM is detected), perform the following steps:

C:\Windows> cd..
C:\> deltree windows

This will delete the Windows directory and every subdirectory under it, essentially completely wiping out Windows. After the 15-30 minutes this will take, switch to the CD-ROM drive and type setup. If the CD-ROM is in the D drive, it should look like this:

C:\> D:
D:\> setup

From here, perform a normal Windows installation. Note that most video card and other component updates will need to be reinstalled after Windows itself has finished reinstalling.

If things are still not working, a reformat and reinstallation will be necessary.

And that's it. Nine easy steps to resolving a BSOD. OK, they aren't that easy and many can take some time to perform, but hopefully, following these steps will resolve the problems keeping the computer from providing the game goodness it was intended to give.